Month: June 2002

So far, today’s links seem to focus on ReplayTV and Sonicblue’s release of the new 4500. There’s also an interesting analysis of the legal circumstances of those who post online directions to defeat Key2Audio with a magic marker, based on consultations with the Berkman Center at Harvard. And some interesting stuff on digital movie theatres

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Slashdot discusses the EULA that comes with the new ReplayTV – while it looks onerous, other posters point out that the TiVo agreement is no different. Update: Came across this article at Electronic Business [local PDF] that discusses DVRs, with a great table at the bottom describing the cost to put one together – compare to some Slashdot comments.

Wired.com adds to the discussion of ReplayTV by discussing the differences between the approach of music sharing companies (e.g., Napster) and that of Sonicblue. In particular, allies are cited, with some interesting revenue statistics comparing consumer electronics with the movie industry.

A couple of Slashdot links that should make you think about what digital movie projection might mean to the cinema. First, look at this Flash demonstration of the basic technology (follow this link, then click on "launch the demo") – pretty cool. Now, take a look at the Slashdot discussion I got that link from – a look at whether this technology will beat out LCDs for display technology. Finally, we bring you an "Ask Slashdot" inquiry by a student at a UC Davis asking about whether Campus Cinema (the student-run campus movie program) should invest in a digital projection system – think about the distribution effects, then read some of the comments.

So, the clear big news is the Chapter 11 filing of Napster, to shield Bertelsmann from copyright liability suits. Also, a friend pointed me to some new information on the Macrovision CD copy protection system – to paraphrase “ink can’t hurt us!”.

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Macrovision has a press release detailing the invulnerability of their CD copy protection system from inks – of course, it is patent pending, so once the patent is given, the technique will be fully documented and on the record. (Thanks, Grom!)

Unquestionably the weirdest link of the day is the David Coursey opinion piece on TiVo. Is this is the same David Coursey who hates Napster? – either he’s taking some interesting medication, suffering from some peculiar personality disorder or is just the shallowest opinion writer in the tech sector. Personally, I’m pulling for the last option.

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David Coursey’s upcoming Anchordesk piece is a followup on the recent articles describing how TiVo has more control over the box than is implied by the description “digital video recorder.” (If you wonder about my confusion, see this article on Napster or this one on its companions – yet he also has strong opinions the other way – search the links on his name and see for yourself)

Ed Foster’s Gripe Line column in InfoWorld this week is all about the DMCA in practice, versus intent.

Cory Doctorow has a blog entry at Boing Boing that discusses the impact of “cam girls” on the porn industry. He then asks whether any parallels with the P2P-music industry relationship, and he points out that the “cam girl” phenonmenon is actually a throwback (or return to) one-on-one “bespoke” business sales, rather than mass media. Interesting question.

Doc Searls expresses his opinion on the future of TiVo and other digital video recorders in the face of the increasing realization that their goals may not be consistent with those of their users. In particular, he sees the DVR sellers as members of the broadcast media in an era where direct communication is possible, and expects that direct communication will win out.